id: 137023
accession number: 1961.46
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1961.46
updated: 2023-03-09 12:48:17.339000
Vishnu Riding on Garuda, AD 300s. Eastern India, Bihar. Schist; overall: 81.3 x 47 cm (32 x 18 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1961.46
title: Vishnu Riding on Garuda
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: AD 300s
creation date earliest: 300
creation date latest: 425
current location: 243 Indian and Southeast Asian
creditline: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
copyright:
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culture: Eastern India, Bihar
technique: schist
department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection: Indian Art
type: Sculpture
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Overall: 81.3 x 47 cm (32 x 18 1/2 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Year in Review (1961)
opening date: 1961-11-01T04:00:00
Year in Review (1961). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 1-26, 1961).
title: The Ideal Image: The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence
opening date: 1978-10-05T04:00:00
The Ideal Image: The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence. Asia House Galleries, New York City, NY (organizer) (October 5-December 3, 1978); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (January 1-February 25, 1979); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (March 24-May 6, 1979).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
(Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
date: ?-1961
footnotes:
citations:
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
date: 1961-
footnotes:
citations:
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fun fact:
digital description:
wall description:
In a rare and powerful work from this period, Vishnu straddles his vehicle, the man-eagle called Garuda, here shown with a human head, wings outstretched, and tail feathers expanding like rays of light behind the head of the god. Garuda is the enemy of serpents, and a subjugated serpent is tied around his neck. His determined expression lends confidence that he will do anything in his power to support Vishnu in his accomplishments. Tiny worshippers kneel in veneration before the imposing figures.
Each of Vishnu's hands holds an implement: discus, mace, conch, and citron fruit. On his chest is an auspicious symbol called the shrivatsa, or "child" (vatsa) of Shri, the goddess of good fortune and a wife of Vishnu.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 48, no. 9, 1961, pp. 219–251.
page number: Mentioned: no. 52, listed p. 249; Reproduced: no. 52, p. 236
url: www.jstor.org/stable/25142473
"Annual Report for 1961.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 49, no. 6, 1962, pp. 115–145.
page number: Mentioned: p. 129
url: www.jstor.org/stable/25151899
Marcus, Margaret F. “Sculptures from Bihar and Bengal.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 54, no. 8, 1967, pp. 240–262.
page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 241, fig. 1
url: www.jstor.org/stable/25152173
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page number: Reproduced: p. 294
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n314
Sugimura, Tō 杉村棟. Isurāmu イスラーム. Tōkyō: Shōgakukan, 1999.
page number: no. 206, p. 323
url:
Parimoo, Ratan. Essays in New Art History: Studies in Indian Sculpture: Regional Genres and Interpretations. New Delhi: Books & Books, 2000.
page number: no. 98
url:
Bidwell, Frederick E. and Leslie Cade. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art ; New York, NY: Scala Arts Publishers, 2014.
page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 204
url:
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1961.46/1961.46_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1961.46/1961.46_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1961.46/1961.46_full.tif